Jasper County man sentenced to 10 years after picking up Savannah 12-year-old for sex
A 20-year-old Ridgeland man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison Thursday after he drove a 12-year-old Savannah girl across state lines, according to a Friday news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Darick McPherson pleaded guilty to transportation with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.
McPherson must also pay $29,775.50 in restitution and serve 15 years of supervised release after he completes his prison sentence, the release said.
When Ridgeland Police responded to complaints of a domestic disturbance, they discovered the girl with McPherson on Dec. 19, 2017. Investigators determined that after the minor’s guardian left for work, McPherson picked her up from her Savannah home and drove to South Carolina.
“This was no ‘Romeo and Juliet’ romantic fantasy,” Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, said in the release. “This is an adult predator who groomed a 12-year-old from a troubled home and enticed her to sneak away in the dead of night for his own sick gratification. The young victim will now have an opportunity to mature without his malignant influence.”
The case was investigated by the FBI and police departments in Allendale, Ridgeland and Savannah. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
